Posted by Christ_empowered on September 28, 2014, at 1:28:50
If you are or have been seriously mentally ill, there's bound to be stigma. I didn't get it until...well, now...because I was...mentally ill. And not just a tad bit, either.
I'm in recovery, which is wonderful. I'm blessed in many respects. But...the stigma, of having *been* the other and now being denied entrance to the mainstream...
...and the shrinks are all too often part of the problem. In my case, socioeconomic issues play a huge role. I came from a middle class, white collar family. They're now more upper middle class, and they're solidly behind me, against all odds.
What's the difference? Its like..."rinky dink middle class family," you don't really get empathy or compassion, or at least I didn't. Pills? Yes! Compassion? Try again later.
More upper middle/upper class...they actually talk to you. Imagine that...a touch of compassion. Less emphasis on pills, more on recovery. Less harshness. More space.
The stigma thing would probably be unbearable if my parents hadn't moved up the totem pole and gotten behind me. Unemployed...check. SSI? Check. Working on a degree? I *can*, because of my people. So I do.
And I remember who I was, where I was, before...and I think of all those who go "off the rails" and don't have the luxury of coming back on someone else's dime.
So, yeah...stigma. What's been your experience?
poster:Christ_empowered
thread:1071567
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/social/20140828/msgs/1071567.html